Remembering Rabbi Moshe Schick: A Legacy of Torah Leadership

Rabbi Moshe Schick was born on Adar 21, 1807, in the town of Brezeva in the Nitra District of the Kingdom of Hungary. His father, Rabbi Yosef Schick, was a respected merchant known for his integrity, descended from the notable Tosefot Yom Tov.

When Rabbi Moshe was a small child, his father passed away. At just 11 years old, he was studying Torah at the yeshiva of his uncle, Rabbi Yitzchak Frankel, head of the rabbinic court in Frauenkirchen. Though his peers mocked him for not being quick to grasp Torah studies, young Rabbi Moshe persevered with immense dedication, ultimately becoming a distinguished Torah scholar.

At 17, he arrived in Pressburg to study at the yeshiva of the Chasam Sofer. Initially hesitant about accepting him due to his young age, the Chasam Sofer eventually admitted him after recognizing Rabbi Moshe's Torah proficiency and passion.

Due to his deep knowledge of Torah, the Chasam Sofer nicknamed him the "Bookcase." For three years, he was honored to eat at the Chasam Sofer's table on Shabbat and festivals. On one occasion, the Chasam Sofer remarked that Rabbi Moshe was a "walking Torah scroll."

At the age of 20, Rabbi Moshe married Gitl, the daughter of his wealthy cousin Peretz Frankel, and they moved to the city of Halitsch.

In 1838, when he was only 29, Rabbi Schick was appointed as the rabbi of Yergen, near Pressburg, on the recommendation of the Chasam Sofer.

Once, when the Chasam Sofer visited Yergen, he attended Rabbi Schick's lecture. Out of great humility, Rabbi Schick paused his lesson and asked that his teacher, the Chasam Sofer, deliver it instead. The Chasam Sofer declined, asserting that Rabbi Schick was the spiritual leader of the place. However, Rabbi Schick continued with humility, teaching lessons from his teacher, the Chasam Sofer.

Due to financial difficulties faced by the small town of Yergen in maintaining his yeshiva of approximately 800 students, Rabbi Schick became the rabbi of the city of Hust after 24 years in Yergen. Hust committed to supporting his yeshiva, which relocated with him.

Rabbi Schick was renowned as a great scholar who would review his Torah studies innumerable times, such that he would recite words of Torah even while walking down the street.

On the holy Shabbat of Parashat Va’era, the first of the month of Shevat in 1879, Rabbi Moshe Schick passed away. He authored "Sheilot U'Teshuvot Maharam Schick," containing over a thousand halachic responses covering all aspects of life and sections of the Shulchan Aruch, as well as works on the Talmud, Torah, Pirkei Avot, the Haggadah of Pesach, and his famous commentary on the 613 mitzvot.